Amanda and Brian are high school sweethearts, although they don’t like to think of themselves that way. They fell in love while leading a senior retreat during their senior year of high school and have been inseparable ever since. Just a couple months into dating, they both knew that they would get married. Eleven years later, on the exact date that they first fell in love, they finally got to say their vows overlooking one of Moab’s most beautiful canyons.

Travel, adventure, and the outdoors are a huge part of their lives together. Amanda is a geologist and Brian is an ecologist. So just being outdoors with them is so much fun because between the two of them, they have so much knowledge to share! They love going on road trips, hiking, kayaking, skiing/snowboarding, and visiting National Parks. For a long time, they dreamed about hitting the road and creating a life revolving around adventure. After much discussion, they both quit their jobs and bought a Sprinter van. They plan on converting it into their home and set out on their adventure (bringing their cat along with them).

The desert is Amanda’s favorite place to be, which is a big reason they chose to get married in Moab. When we began brainstorming ideas of ceremony locations for them, they told us that they loved Canyonlands National Park, and we couldn’t help but agree. There is something so humbling about standing at the edge of Moab’s enormous red rock canyons. Like with all of our couples, we created a map for Moab with all of our favorite hikes, ceremony options, and viewpoints pinned to it. Eventually, we all set our sights on Dead Horse Point State Park.

Once we had chosen Dead Horse Point for their ceremony, Amanda and Brian gave us the freedom to choose their ceremony site within the park, as well as their first look location, and post-ceremony hike. We decided to arrive to Moab three days before their wedding so that we could do some in-person scouting. We were very excited to share all of their options with them during their arch hiking Adventure Session the day before their wedding.

Amanda and Brian wanted a slower start to their wedding day, so they decided on a just-before-sunset ceremony. We arrived at the beautiful house they rented and spent the afternoon with them and their guests while everyone got ready. They got dressed separately, and then we all piled into two cars to head to their first look. Their first look was only a short hike, and Amanda and Brian weren’t worried about the red mud on the trail. Their first look was short and sweet and then we headed to their ceremony.

By the time we arrived to their ceremony, there were only a few other cars nearby. We hiked down the trail to their ceremony site and everyone got into place. Amanda’s friend played music as Amanda walked down the “aisle” to Brian and his friend who was officiating. The joke throughout the day was that Brian’s friend had written a very long and boring speech to give during the ceremony, but that was not the case. He shared some beautiful words of encouragement for Amanda and Brian before allowing them to read their own vows. Let us just say, Amanda and Brian wrote the most incredible vows for each other. It can be difficult to fit eleven years into just a few minutes, but they both did it beautifully. They sealed their ceremony with a kiss and then celebrated by hugging all of their guests.

After the ceremony, we explored until the sun went down. Everyone returned to their rental house and ate BBQ for dinner (the only caterer they could find during Moab’s off-season). Before turning in for the night, we drove out into the darkness to look at the stars.

This elopement took place on Ute Land.

Photographs

Colorado Elopements

Destination Elopements